Korean Grammar

Welcome to the 8th lesson about Korean grammar. We will first learn about prepositions, negation, questions, adverbs, and pronouns including: personal, object and possessive pronouns. To hear the pronunciation, just click on the sound icon.

We will start with prepositions. In general, they are used to link words to other words. For example: I speak Korean and English the preposition is [and] because it connects both words Korean and English. The following is a list of the most used prepositions in Korean.

Prepositions

Korean

Pronunciation

and

그리고

[keurigo]

above

-보다 위에

[-boda wiie]

under

아래에

[arae-ye]

before

전에

[jeone]

after

뒤에

[dwiie]

in front of

-의 앞쪽에(앞에)

[-ye apcho-ge(ape)]

behind

뒤에

[dwiie]

far from

-멀리

[-meolli]

near

에서 가까이

[eseo kakka-i]

in

-에

[-e]

inside

안

[an]

outside

겉에

[keote]

with

-와 함께

[-wah hamkke]

without

없이

[eobshi]

about

-에 대한

[-e dae-han]

between

사이에

[sa-ie]

but

그러나

[keureona]

for

를 위해

[reul wiihae]

from

부터

[bu-teo]

to

에

[e]

Preposition Grammar Rules

The following examples use prepositions in different ways and places to demonstrate how they behave in a sentence.

Negation in Korean

Now let's learn how to make a negative sentence (negation). For example: Saying no, I can't, I don't ... The following examples use negation in different ways and places to demonstrate how they behave in a sentence.

Questions in Korean

Now let's learn how to ask questions (interrogative). Such as: what, why, can you ...? Here are some common examples:

English

Korean

Pronunciation

how?

어떻게?

[eotteohke?]

what?

무엇?

[mu-eos?]

who?

누구?

[nu-gu?]

why?

왜?

[waeh?]

where?

어디에?

[eodi-e?]

More of the interrogative form, now in a sentence:

Questions + Rules

Korean + Pronunciation

where do you live?[interrogative + verb]

당신은 어디 사십니까? [tangshineun eodi- sashimnikka?]

does she speak Chinese?[interrogative verb]

그녀는 중국어를 합니까? [keunyeoneun junggugeoreul hamnikka?]

how much is this?[interrogative preposition]

이것은 얼마입니까? [ikeoteun eolma-imnikka?]

can I help you?[interrogative modal verb]

도움이 필요하십니까? [doumi pilyohashimnikka?]

what is your name?[interrogative preposition]

성함(이름)이 어떻게 되십니까? [seong-ham(ireum)i eotteohke dwehshimnikka?]

Adverbs in Korean

It's time to learn the adverbs in Korean. But what is an adverb? In general, adverbs modify verbs and adjectives. For example: You speak fast. The adverb is [fast] because it describes the verb and answers the question how do you speak?. Here is a list of the most common ones:

Adverbs

Korean

Pronunciation

now

지금

[chigeum]

yesterday

어제

[eoje]

today

오늘

[oneul]

tonight

오늘밤

[oneulbam]

tomorrow

내일

[nae-il]

soon

곧

[kod]

quickly

빨리

[ppalli]

slowly

천천히

[cheon-cheonhi]

together

함께

[hamkke]

very

매우

[ma-eu]

almost

거의

[keoyi]

always

항상

[hangsang]

usually

보통

[botong]

sometimes

가끔

[kakkeum]

rarely

드물게

[deumul-ke]

never

결코

[kyeol-ko]

The following examples use the adverbs in different ways and places to demonstrate how it behaves in a sentence.

Pronouns in Korean

We're almost done! This time we will learn the pronouns in Korean. In general, a pronoun can be used instead of a noun. For example instead of saying my teacher speaks 3 languages, you can use the pronoun he, and say he speaks 3 languages. Here is a list of the most common ones:

Personal Pronouns

Korean

Pronunciation

I

나는

[naneun]

you

너는

[neoneun]

he

그는

[keuneun]

she

그녀는

[keunyeoneun]

we

우리는

[urineun]

they

그들은

[keudeu-reun]

Object Pronouns

Korean

Pronunciation

me

나를

[nareul]

you

너를

[neoreul]

him

그를

[keureul]

her

그녀를

[keunyeoreul]

us

우리를

[urireul]

them

그들을

[keudeu-reul]

Possessive Pronouns

Korean

Pronunciation

my

나의

[naye]

your

너의

[neoyi]

his

그의

[keuyi]

her

그녀의

[keunyeoyi]

our

우리의

[uriyi]

their

그들의

[keudeulyi]

I think it's better to put the above example in a sentence to better assist you. The following examples use pronouns in different ways and places to demonstrate how they behave in a sentence. We will start with the personal pronouns.

Personal Pronouns

Korean + Pronunciation

I am your friend[1st pronoun + verb]

당신은 제 친구입니다 [tangshineun je chinguimnida]

you speak very fast[2nd pronoun + adverb]

당신은 말을 빨리 합니다 [tangshineun ma-reul ppalli hamnida]

he has three dogs[3rd pronoun + verb]

그는 개 세 마리를 키웁니다 [keuneun gae se marireul gi-umnida]

she can speak German[3rd pronoun + verb]

그녀는 독일어를 못합니다 [keunyeoneun do-gi-reoreul mothamnida]

we will not come late[1st plural pronoun]

우리는 늦게까지 오지 않을 겁니다 [urineun neujkekkaji oji anheul keomnida]

they bought milk and bread[3rd plural pronoun]

그들은 우유와 빵을 구입했습니다 [keudeu-reun uyuwah ppangeul kuibhaessseumnida]

The object pronoun is used as a target by a verb, and usually come after that verb. For example: I gave him my book. The object pronoun here is him. Here are more examples: